Rizal Park

Not to be confused with Rizal Park (Seattle).

Rizal Park
Luneta Park
Rizal Monument with the statue of Jose Rizal
Type	Urban park
Location	Manila, Philippines
Coordinates	14°34′54.01″N 120°58′36.10″E
Area	50 hectares (120 acres)
Created	1820
Operated by	National Parks Development Committee
Status	Open year-round
Website	Rizal Park

Rizal Park, also known as Luneta Park or colloquially Luneta, is a historical urban park located in the heart of the city of Manila, Philippines, adjacent to the old walled city of Manila, now Intramuros. Since the Spanish Colonial Era, the park has been a favorite spot for unwinding, socializing, an urban oasis for family picnics on Sundays and holidays. It is one of the major tourist attractions of Manila.

Located along Manila Bay, Luneta has been the site of some of the most significant moments in Philippine history. The execution of pacifist Dr. José Rizal on December 30, 1896, sparked the fire of the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish colonizers, elevating the martyr as the national hero of the country. The park was officially renamed Rizal Park in his honor and his monument serves as the symbolic focal point of the park. The Declaration of Philippine Independence from American rule was held here on July 4, 1946 as well as the political rallies of Ferdinand Marcos and Corazon Aquino in 1986 that led to the EDSA Revolution deposing the dictator.

Location

Luneta is situated at the northern terminus of Roxas Boulevard. To the east of the boulevard, the park is bounded by Taft Avenue, Padre Burgos Drive and T.M. Kalaw Avenue. To the west is the reclaimed area of the park bounded by Katigbak Dr., South Dr., and the shore of Manila Bay.

History

Spanish Colonial Period

The Paseo de Luneta in 1899

Rizal Park's history began in 1820 when the Paseo de Luneta was completed just south of the walls of Manila on a marshy patch of land next to the beach during the Spanish rule. Prior to the park, the marshy land was the location of a small town called Nuevo Barrio (New Town or Bagumbayan in Tagalog language) that dates back to 1601; it was cleared during the short British rule in 1762 to prevent sneak attacks from the patriotic natives. The area later became known as Bagumbayan Field where the Cuartel la Luneta (Luneta Barracks), a Spanish Military Hospital (which was destroyed by one of the earthquakes of Manila), and a moat-surrounded outwork of the walled city of Manila, known as the Luneta (lunette) because of its crescent shape.

West of Bagumbayan Field is the Paseo de la Luneta (Plaza of the Lunette) named after the fortification, not because of the shape of the plaza which is a long 100-by-300-metre (330 × 980 ft) rectangle ended by two semicircles. It was also named Paseo de Alfonso XII (Plaza of Alfonso XII), after Alfonso XII, King of Spain during his reign from 1874 to 1885. Paseo de la Luneta was the center of social activity for the people of Manila in the early evening hours. This plaza is arranged with paths and lawns and surrounded by a wide driveway called "La Calzada" (The Road) where carriages circulate.

Execution of Gomez, Burgos and Zamora

During the Spanish period, most especially in the latter part of the 19th century, the place became notorious for public executions of criminals and political enemies of Spain. On February 17, 1872, three Filipino priests, Mariano Gómez, José Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, collectively known as Gomburza, were executed by garrote, accused of subversion arising from the 1872 Cavite mutiny.

American Colonial Period

Rizal Monument

Main article: Rizal Monument

The execution of Jose Rizal on December 30, 1896

The bronze-and-granite Rizal monument is among the most famous sculptural landmarks in the country. It is almost protocol for visiting dignitaries to lay a wreath at the monument. Located on the monument is not merely the statue of the national hero, but also his remains.

On September 28, 1901, the United States Philippine Commission approved Act No. 243, which would erect a monument in Luneta to commemorate the memory of José Rizal, Philippine patriot, writer and poet. The committee formed by the act held an international design competition between 1905–1907 and invited sculptors from Europe and the United States to submit entries with an estimated cost of ₱100,000 using local materials.

The first-prize winner was Carlos Nicoli of Carrara, Italy for his scaled plaster model titled “Al Martir de Bagumbayan” (To the Martyr of Bagumbayan) besting 40 other accepted entries. The contract though, was awarded to second-placer Swiss sculptor named Richard Kissling for his “Motto Stella” (Guiding Star).

After more than twelve years of its approval, the shrine was finally unveiled on December 30, 1913 during Rizal’s 17th death anniversary. His poem "Mi Ultimo Adios" ("My Last Farewell") is inscribed on the memorial plaque. The site is continuously guarded by ceremonial soldiers, known as Kabalyeros de Rizal (Knights of Rizal).

Proclamation of independence at Rizal Park

Philippine Independence Day celebrations

The Independence Flagpole, standing at 107 metres (351 ft), is the highest flagpole in the Philippines. On this spot in front of Rizal Monument, at 9:15am July 4, 1946, the full independence of the Republic of the Philippines was proclaimed as authorized by the United States President Harry S. Truman. Next to the flagpole, a grand Independence Grandstand, designed by architect Juan Arellano, was built just for the occasion.

Rizal Monument facing Quirino Grandstand.

Quirino Grandstand. In 1949, a permanent grandstand, a replica of the Independence Grandstand was completed along Manila Bay where President Elpidio Quirino was sworn in after winning the presidential election. Since then, newly-elected Presidents of the Philippines traditionally take their oath of office and deliver their inaugural address to the nation in the grandstand, which was later renamed after President Quirino. Many important political, cultural and religious events in the post war era have been held here.

Philippine Centennial

On June 12, 1998, mammoth festivities capped the 1998 Philippine Centennial Celebrations, marking a hundred years of the Philippine Declaration of Independence from Spain, culminating to the establishment of the First Philippine Republic. Celebrations were led by then president of the country Fidel V. Ramos.

Recent events in the park

Overview of the park

• January 15, 1995. The closing Mass of the X World Youth Day 1995 was held here attended by more than 5 million people. This is the record gathering of the Roman Catholic Church.

• November 27, 2005. Rizal Park was the venue of the opening ceremony for the 2005 Southeast Asian Games at the Quirino Grandstand. It was held at an open-air park instead of a stadium, a historic first for a Southeast Asian games' opening ceremony. It was again used on December 5, 2005 for the games' closing ceremony.

• January 17, 2010. Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ (4th Watch) held its International Missionary Day at Quirino Grandstand.

• August 23, 2010. The park was the site of the 11-hour hostage crisis where a Hong Thai Travel Services tour group on a coach was hijacked by Rolando Mendoza, causing casualties and injuries.

Park layout

The park is divided into three sections beginning with the 16-hectare (40-acre) Teodora F. Valencia Circle adjoining Taft Avenue, where the Department of Tourism and the National Museum of the Filipino People (formerly the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Finance respectively) are located; followed by the 22-hectare (54-acre) park proper that extends down to Roxas Boulevard; and terminating at a 10-hectare (25-acre) open field across Roxas Boulevard fronting Quirino Grandstand along the Manila Bay.

Location of buildings surrounding the Rizal Park

Northern side
Western side				Eastern side
Museum of the Filipino People	Lapu-Lapu Monument			Department of Tourism Building
Japanese garden	Rizal Monument			National Library of the Philippines
Intramuros				National Historical Commission of the Philippines
Manila Hotel	Quirino Grandstand			Museo Pambata
Southern side

Activities

The park is home to various Kali/Eskrima/Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) groups. Every morning, especially on Sundays, Eskrimadors, or Eskrima practitioners can be seen at Luneta. Even up to the present, stickfighting duels are still very common, albeit in a friendly atmosphere.

Points of interest

• Chinese Garden. An ornate Chinese-style gate, carved with swirling dragons, leads you into this whimsical garden which looks like it has been transported from old Peking. Along the lagoon constructed to simulate a small lake, are pagodas and gazebos that are set off by red pillars and green-tiled roofs and decorated with a profusion of mythical figures.

• Concert at the Park at the Rizal Park Open-Air Auditorium are performances provided for free to the general public by the National Parks Development Committee, Department of Tourism and the National Broadcasting Network. Featured shows are a mix of performances from dance, theatre, to musical performances by local and foreign artists.

Kilometer Zero fronting the monument

• Diorama of Rizal's Martrydom. On an area north of Rizal monument stands a set of statues depicting Rizal's execution, situated on the spot where he was actually martyred, contrary to popular belief that the monument is the spot where he was executed. In the evenings, a Light & Sound presentation titled "The Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal", features a multimedia dramatization of the last poignant minutes of the life of the national hero.

• Japanese Garden. The gardens were built to promote friendship between Japan and the Philippines. Inside is nice place for pleasant walks around the Japanese style gardens, lagoon and bridge.

• Kilometer Zero. The Kilometre Zero marker of the Philippines, located on Roxas Boulevard, in front of Rizal monument, serves as the point from which road distances from Manila are measured.

• Lapu-Lapu Monument (or the Statue of the Sentinel of Freedom). The monument was a gift from the people of Korea as appreciation and to honor the memory of freedom-loving Filipinos who helped during the Korean War in the early 1950s (as inscribed in the plaque). Lapu-Lapu was a native Muslim chieftain in Mactan, Cebu and representative of the Sultan of Sulu, and is now known as the first native of the archipelago to resist Spanish colonization. He is retroactively regarded as the first national hero of the Philippines. On the morning of April 27, 1521, Lapu-Lapu and the men of Mactan, armed with spears and kampilan, faced Spanish soldiers led by Portuguese captain Ferdinand Magellan in what would later be known as the Battle of Mactan. Magellan and several of his men were killed.

• Manila Ocean Park is an oceanarium located in the westernmost part of Luneta behind the Quirino Grandstand and along Manila Bay. The complex opened on March 1, 2008.

• Manila Planetarium

• Museum of the Filipino People, on the building north of Agrifina Circle, are the Anthropology and Archeology collections of the National Museum of the Philippines.

• National Library of the Philippines is the country's premier public library. The library has a history of its own and its rich Filipiniana collections are maintained by the librarians to preserve the institution as the nations fountain of local knowledge and source of information for thousands of students and everyday users in their research and studies.

Relief map of the Philippines

• National Museum of the Philippines, located on the northeastern tip of Rizal Park, is the natural history and ethnography museum of the Philippines.

• Orchidarium and Butterfly Pavilion, established in 1994, was a former parking lot developed into a one-hectare rainforest-like park. The Orchidarium showcases Philippines' rich collection of orchid species and butterflies. The pavilion is also a favorite venue for weddings.

• Relief map of the Philippines is a giant raised-relief map of the country in the middle of a small man-made lake.

2011 renovations

Rizal Park is undergoing renovations by the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC) aimed at restoring elements of the park. The plans include the rehabilitation of the old musical dancing fountain located on the 40 × 100 m (130 × 330 ft) pool, which is the geographical center of the park. The fountain, which is set for inauguration on December 16, 2011, is handled by German-Filipino William Schaare, the same person who built the original fountain in the 1960s. Restoration also includes the Flower Clock which is set for inauguration on the 113th Philippine Independence day; the Noli Me Tangere Garden and Luzviminda Boardwalk, for the 150th birthday celebration of Jose Rizal.^{[citation needed]}

In popular culture

• The Amazing Race 5, the fifth installment of the American Reality TV show, featured the Rizal Monument on Leg 12 as Route Marker.
• The Port Malaya patch in Ragnarok Online, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMOPPG), features a replica of the Rizal Monument as one of the town's attractions.

External links

• National Parks Development Committee
• Photos from Flickr
• Photos of Luneta